Toy aeroplane



Mamh 11 1924;

F. SHORT TOY AEROPLANE 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13 glwvwntot F. SHORT TOY AEROPLANE Filed March 15 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gama W1 3 Fatented Mar. ll, liQZd.

entree stares PATENT FFE@EO FRANK SHORT, F PENN YAN, NEW YORK.

'EQY AEROFLANE.

Application filed March 13, 1923. Serial No. eaa'ma.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK SHORT, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Penn Yan, in the county of Yates and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Aeroplanes, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of manufacturing toy aeroplanes or gliders and the resulting article, and resides in certain operative steps and details of construction giving strength and a favorable weight distribution, and simplifying the manufacture.

The construction is such that the stock may beprepared in a continuous strip from 1 which successive blanks are punched. These to w ' struction in blanks are then so shaped in dies as to have considerable mechanical strength and at the same time a highly desirable form from the standpoint of successful flight.

The form and the manner of constructing the device are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the complete glider in the preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryvertical axial section at the nose of the plane.

Fig.7 is a dperspective View of the metal stamping use to stifien the nose.

Fig. 8 is a view of a portion of the blank strip with the pattern or development of one glider indicated thereon.

Fig. 9 is a lan view of a modified conwhich a cover sheet is used to stifien the fuselage and wings and close the top of the fuselage.

Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

The method of manufacturing and the structure of the glider may best be understood from a consideration of the blank from which it is formed. This blank is cut from laminated sheet material which preferably is prepared in strip form. It consists in the preferred form of a base strip V and a narrower top strip 16 and'certain material and some of them may even be thin metal or foil, but ll prefer paper and shall hereafter refer to paper as the typical material in this description.

' lln the example chosen for illustration, there are three intervening strips 17, 18 and 19 of successively increasing widths, each adjacent that margin of the strip which forms the forward ends of the blanks, and one strip 20 at the forward edges of the tail surfaces or elevators. More or fewer might be used and their relative locations will be varied somewhat, depending on the size of the glider, the character of the sheet material used and the desired location of the points of maximgm thickness. It is not even essential that the various laminae be of uniform thickness.

The blank strip is preferably made up with adhesive and the blanks are preferably punched out and die-pressed to form when the adhesive is partially but not completely dried. Hot dies may be used to set the adhesive if desired. Alternatively the adhesive might be of the type which is softened by heat and the dies might be heated during the forming operation and then chilled to set the article. These general methods are known and are not a feature of the invention, but are mentioned in the interests of a full disclosure.

Each blank is, as shown in Fig.8, symmetrical with respect to a line perpendicular to the length of the strip 15 and in-= cludes a fuselage portion 21, wing portions 22, elevators 23 and two rudder portions 24, which, in the finished glider, are preferably, but not necessarily, glued together to form a single rudder. The reference numerals 21 to 24: used above to describe parts of the blank in Fig. 8 are used to identify generally the same parts of the aeroplane in the other figures.

An examination of Fig. 8 will make plain the fact that the front edges of the wings in the blank are inclined backward quite sharply, so that the thickened portions produced by the intermediate strips run out or disappear at successive points along the lllltl when pressed to final shape, has a deep As will beclear from an inspection of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the fuselage portion 2%, section, open at the top and widest and deepest at the section indicated by the line -25 near the junction of the fuselage with the forward portion of the wings 22. From this cross-section, it has a gradual taper in depth and width to the front and rear.

and terminates at the rear in a single vertical rudder formed by fastening the rudder portions 24 together with adhesive.

The fuselage is weighted and stifi'ened at its front end by a U-shaped clip 26 of channel section, which is crimped or clamped over the forward margin of the fuselage. This clip 26 carries a finger or hook 27 by which a catapult or other projecting device is connected with the aeroplane. A small cap-like rubber buffer 28 is slipped over the clip 26 and, aside from its utility as a bufi'er, adds weight to the nose of the aeroplane.

. The wings 22, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, have considerable camber or curvature and a pronounced dihedral angle. The wings preferably are warped rather than ruled surfaces so as to have increased inherent rigidity. Similarly the fuselage is a warped surface, as are its junctions with the wings. These warped surfaces are easily formed by pressure on the dies while the adhes've between laminations is soft, and the form is then permanently fixed by the setting of the adhesive. Naturally such suraces are less liable to distortion by internal stresses than are ruled surfaces.

The elevators 23 are thickened and stiffened at their front edges by the strip 20. They are shown in the drawings as plane surfaces, but this is not essential as they may curved or warped, like the wings 22, if desired. Their angle of incidence is a function of the size and balance of the aeroplane and may be either positive, negative or zero according to the particular case.

case a more finished construction is desired, I apply, as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10, a cover sheet of paper 30 to the top of the entire aeroplane. This closes the top of the fuselage and braces the wings, givmg improved flight characteristics and greater strength. When this cover strip 30 is to be used, it is possible, but not necessary, to omit the top sheet 16 from the blank. In either case, the narrow flange 81 is formed on the upper margin of the fuselage forward of the Wlllgs and also between the wings and elevators; and to caused to adhere.

Once the correct form is established and dies constructed, these aeroplanes may be rapidly and economically manufactured. Tests have shown that they are capable of long gliding flights when projected by a rubber band catapult, and their accurate this the cover sheet 30 is 7 form and good mechanical strength make them an attractive toy and advertising novelty.

In the larger sizes, it may be found desirable to add some type of spring propellmg motor and propeller. Toy aeroplanes so equipped are familiar to those skilled in the art and the form and arrangement of said mechanism is not a part of'said invention. I desire to point out, however, the general adaptability of the present invention to toys of this character for the reason that the fuselage is so constructed as to house and properly support such a mechanism and the nose clip 26 is susceptible of modifications to carry the propeller. Hence, my broader claims are not limited, even by implication, to the glider type of plane.

The process may be carried out in various ways and the article may assume various specifically different forms, but the-most 1mport-ant feature is the use of a laminated blankmade up of superposed strips of graduated width, and particularly the use of such a blank in such a way that the graduated strips in the wings are skewed, so that the wings taper from fuselage to tip and from front edge to rear. This is favorable to the best weight distribution and to strength, and leads to inexpensive manu facturing methods.

In connection with the feature of weightdistribution, it is important also to note that various special results-may be secured by a selection of materials for the different laminae. For example, the use of thin metal, or even of foil, for the narrow lamination 17 at the nose of the plane assists in giving a desirable concentration of weight at this point.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of constructing toy aeroplanes which consists in preparing a blank composed of laminae of sheet material in adhesive relation to each other, certain of said laminae consisting of parallel superposed strips of graduated widths extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ofand across forward portions of the win 'of the aeroplanes to be formed, and then pressing said blank to form wings and a tapered, channel-shaped fuselage, the form of the fuselage being such that the wings are skewed forward relatively to the fusela e by the pressing operation, whereby said graduated strips are obliquely disposed in the wings of the finished aero lane.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a toy aeroplane pressed to form from a flat sheet of laminated material, said sheet being graduated in thickness by the use of superposed laminae of graduated widths.

3. As a new article of manufacture a to aeroplane having a tapered U-sha fuselage and integral wipgs p to form Lasagna {e} from a flat sheet of laminated material, said aeroplane comprising in combination a body sheet being graduated in thickness by the portion pressed to form from a flat sheet of use of superposed. laminae of graduated material, and includin a channel-shaped widthsto cause said wings to taper from tapered fuselage and wings integral therethe front edge to the rear. with, the fuselage, the wings and the junc- 4. As a new article of manufacture, a toy tions of the wings with the fuselage, all beaeroplane having a tapered U-shaped fuseing Warped surfaces; and a metal stifiening lage and integral wings pressed to, form member clamped upon the forward end of from a flat sheet of laminated material, said said fuselage and provided with a hook. sheet being graduated in thickness by the 8. As a new article of manufacture, a toy use of superposed laminae of graduated aeroplane havlng a tapered U-shaped fuse- Widths to cause said wings to taper toward lage and integral Wings pressed to form the tips and rear edges thereof. from a flat sheet of laminated material, said 5. As a new article of manufacture, a toy sheet being graduated in thickness by the aeroplane pressed to form from a fiat sheet use of superposed laminae of graduated of laminated material, said sheet being widths to cause said wings to taper from the graduated in thickness to give relativelyffront edge to the rear, said fuselage and greater mass and strength at the forward Wings, and the junctions of the wings with portion of the aeroplane, and said aeroplane the fuselage, all-being Warped surfaces. including a channel-shaped fuselage which 9. As a new article of manufacture, a toy tapers toward the rear and terminates in a aeroplane having'a tapered U-shaped fusevertical rudder formed of' two portions of lage and integral Wings pressed to form the blank folded into face contact with and from a flat sheet of laminated material, said caused to adhere to each other. sheet being graduated in thickness by the 6. As a new article of manufacture, a toy use of superposed laminae of graduated aeroplane pressed to form from a flat sheet widths to cause said wings to taper toward of material, having a channel-shaped fusethe tips and rear edges thereof, said fuselage lage and wings integral therewith, the fuseand wings, and the junctions of the wings lage, Win s and the junctions of the wings with the fuselage, all beingwarped surfaces, with the uselage all oeing warped surfaces, In testimony whereof I have signed my whereby inherent rigidityis had. name to this specification.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a toy 4 FRANK SHQET. 

